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POOL OF RADIANCE
Part 1
INTRODUCTION
POOL OF RADIANCE is Strategic Simulations' first AD&D CRPG set in the Forgotten
Realms. I played version 1.0 on a Commodore 64.
The following walkthru is an attempt to provide the most necessary information
to help POR players solve the game. It does not attempt to be as detailed as the
marvelous clue book published by TSR and S.S.I.
You create six adventurers (See "Creating Adventurers" below), and they are
deposited in New Phlan. New Phlan is a small, civilized area of Phlan, governed
by a city council. This council hires adventurers to clear the rest of the city
of monsters so that all of it can be civilized.
These monsters are under the rule of a mysterious "Boss." Your objective is to
liberate the city from monsters, discover the identity of the boss, and defeat
him in battle. Once the "Boss" has been defeated, you've won the game, even if
you haven't killed all -- or even the majority -- of the monsters!
The graphics are seen from the point of view of your adventurers within the
city, and specific locations outside. There is an overhead map view of the
wilderness outside.
The many battles your adventurers will have are viewed in a separate, generic
location. All the characters are animated icons that can be arranged to engage
in sword fighting, arrow shooting, fireball throwing, etc. Either the battles
are fought between you and the computer, or the computer handles it all in
"Quick" mode. I recommend "Quick" mode, except when your adventurers get in
trouble; in this instance, hit the space bar to control them individually.
The game involves a series of individual adventures. Most of these adventures
are given to you by the Clerk of the City Council as "Commissions." There are
other adventures. In the Taverns, you will run across rumors that you can
investigate. I recommend that after mapping New Phlan, you first clear the
Slums. Then clear Sokol Keep, Kuto's Well, Podol Plaza, Cadorna Textile House,
The Library, Kovel Mansion, The Wealthy, and, finally, the Temple of Kane. Find
the Dragon; go on the subsequent adventures to find nomads, kobolds, and an
efreeti; then, clear the graveyard. Finish up with the Wilderness commissions
you haven't done; then take on the Gate and the Castle! See the map in your
Adventurer's Journal (page 26).
CREATING ADVENTURERS
I had good results with a human cleric, a human fighter, a half-elf
cleric/fighter, two elf magic-users/fighters, and one elf fighter/thief/magic
user. I could have done better!
My two magic-users/fighters were female, and this caused a problem until I
found Gauntlets of Power. Female elves are only allowed 16 maximum strength; the
Gauntlets improved them to the male maximum of 18.
Also, my half-elf cleric was not able to go up in spell levels as far as his
human counterpart. Look at the race limitations carefully before making your
selections! (It's on the back cover of your manual.)
Generally, you need two clerics, at least two magic-users, a thief, and at
least four fighters. The best way of getting all of this is to use races that
can be fighters as well as magic-users.
You are allowed to change your attributes in the beginning of the game. I gave
all of my characters maximum attributes; I was glad I did! There are very few
opportunities to increase the characters' attributes within the game.
NEW PHLAN
(The following reports were written by my human cleric and alter-ego,
"Preacher." The coordinates are based on 0-15 maps. 0-0 starts at the northwest
corner, with the horizontal location listed first.)
We found a map of New Phlan. (Note: It's provided on the cover of your
Adventurer's Journal.) Using that map we explored the city and labeled the
various buildings. The first thing we needed to find was an Inn. We were tired
after the long sea voyage to Phlan. The guards are certainly strict about
enforcing the "no loitering" signs posted all over. Several times we tried to
camp in the streets, but the watch rousted us each time. We didn't argue with
them; we just moved on.
Eventually, we found several Inns in the southwest (4-12) section. We also
found many shops (open only in the daytime) where we were able to change our
gold pieces into platinum (11-12). The Inns charged a single platinum piece for
a stay. They wouldn't take anything else.
We found a Jewelry Shop (8-10). Its entrance was inside another shop (9-10). We
had heard that there was a place to exchange heavy gold for light jewelry and
wanted to know where it was, anticipating the riches we were going to earn!
We picked up plenty of gossip at the various taverns in town (8-9). We also got
into a few out-and-out brawls. They were great fun, however, with everyone in
the place joining in. We needed the experience because we were all so young and
didn't have many spells or skills.
We went to the Hiring Hall (7-2) and hired another fighter, who agreed to work
with us for one share. A hero also was looking for work. But because he was much
more experienced than we were, he talked us into four shares for his services.
We took him, but it rankled!
Several of our mage/fighters had a couple of duels and usually ended up needing
healing. We earned a few extra gold pieces, but it really wasn't worth it!
We found various rooms around the training hall that were willing to train us
all to higher levels of proficiency, and to teach us a few spells. But they said
that first we'd have to get some experience! (Note: On page 35 of the
Adventurer's Journal you can find out how much experience is needed for which
level.)
We looked the Temples over, but they were so expensive, and I was perfectly
able -- along with the other cleric we had with us -- to do the healing we
needed after battles. (As long as no one got killed!) None of them offered any
rates cheaper than any other, either.
We learned very quickly not to fight with any of the guards in Phlan. We heard
at the taverns that if you did, you'd probably get killed; even if you won, the
shopkeepers wouldn't sell anything to you, nor would the Temples heal you until
you had finished a mission.
We met a nice young lady who was the clerk for the city council (5-5). She gave
us our first commission, and promised a nice reward if we completed it. The
commission? To clear the Slums of monsters. We marched forward with relish!
POOL OF RADIANCE
Part 2
THE SLUMS
The eight of us had an easy time of it in the first few blocks of the Slums. We
encountered some Orcs and a Goblin Armsmaster with his students. The Wiz threw a
detect magic spell on what we thought was just some of their junk, and it turned
out to be treasure! We had our fortune told by a Gypsy (we wisely didn't attack
her), and we found a little bit of treasure in a stable. But there was an
illusionary wall up in the northwest corner (0-0), where we found a lot more
treasure.
We met a magic user called Ohlo (13-10), who sent us to the Rope Guild to get a
potion for him. We found the man with the potion (15-12), told him Ohlo sent us,
and he gave it to us. We returned it and were well paid for the job.
We killed off Kobolds, Hobgoblins, Monster Guards, and Monster Leaders. Wiz and
Wuz (the two magic-users/fighters) used sleep spells on some very tough Goblin
Guards' archers. It seemed like the fighting would never end at times!
We encountered some very large Trolls and Ogres tossing things around (0-14).
It was touch-and-go at first, but Lance (our human fighter) came up with tactics
that saved the day. He and the hero held the front line, while Slye (the
thief/fighter/magic-user) and the hired Fighter knocked their arrows and
peppered the Trolls. They left the Ogres alone; the fact that the Ogres were
between the Trolls and us was the only thing keeping us alive! Wiz and Wuz also
used their bows on the Trolls after they ran out of spells. Breed (the half-elf
fighter/cleric) and I kept the front rank healed with spells as well as we
could; the Ogres were giving them quite a pounding. Finally, we killed the
Trolls, then quickly finished off the Ogres. I stomped on the dead Trolls and
hammered them with my mace so they couldn't regenerate. It was bloody,
disgusting work, but somebody had to do it!
(Note: If you have mapped this block completely, and have had 15 random
encounters, the section is considered cleared.)
SOKOL KEEP
After some well-earned rest back in the civilized sector, we collected our
reward from the City Clerk, and received a new Commission: Sokol Keep. We looked
on the map and knew that it was on an island -- a short boat trip away from
Phlan. We went to the docks and booked passage.
Sokol Keep turned out to be a foreboding, lonely place! Outside the main gate
we found the bones of a dead elf (6-13). Since a goodly number of us were elves,
this caused some consternation. On the body, we found a scroll with three words
written on it. They translated as LUX, SHESTNI, and SAMOSUD.
We entered the Keep and were quickly beset by patrols of undead warriors! We
tried out the words on the scroll by parlaying [sic] with the warriors, and
found that SHESTNI satisfied them and sent them away. (Note: After speaking with
Martinez, only SAMOSUD will work.) But we were too bloodthirsty to be long
satisfied with this and finally started butchering them. I found that a dispel
worked just fine, and Breed also used it. Finally, after killing off our fourth
Patrol, we were allowed to camp and rest in peace
As we entered a room (8-5) just north of the Altar room, we were assaulted by
what seemed like thousands of Orcs and Hobgoblins! We found out later that this
was a force sent by the Boss to stop us from clearing the Keep. Once more we
found sleep spells worked well enough on enemy archers and the front ranks to
allow us to kill every last one of them. But we were fortunate to have the help
of the hero and fighter; otherwise, I don't think we could have done it!
When we arrived at the altar (7-9), a specter materialized and identified
himself as Ferran Martinez. We used LUX to parlay with him, and then told him
the truth when he asked about the state of the city. He told us about a secret
treasure room, which we found in the northwest corner of the Armory (15-0). We
walked through another of those illusionary walls (15-2). There were other
haunts we found in another room (6-2) who -- with the aid of LUX -- helped us
find even more treasure!
All in all, the Keep was an enriching experience. But a sad thing happened in
the big Orc battle. The hero got himself killed, but we felt much better after
we took his weapons, stripped him of some expensive plate armor, and threw his
body in a ditch. At least he wouldn't be demanding four shares any longer.
I healed the hired Fighter; when we finally got back to the training hall, we
all trained to higher levels -- he even paid for his own training!
(Note: The Keep is considered cleared once Ferran Martinez has been told the
truth. The shipping lanes will also be open to traffic. If you leave the Keep
before telling the truth to Martinez, the Undead Patrols will be reset.)
KUTO'S WELL AND PODOL PLAZA
We got a commission to secretly attend an auction in Podol Plaza. On the way,
we passed through the block known as Kuto's Well. Later we would explore Kuto's
Well more thoroughly, but this time we just passed through it.
(Note: There is not much of interest in Kuto's Well, except for the Well
itself. It's the entrance to the catacombs where one may find Norris the Gray
and his bandit horde. Defeating Norris clears the block. There is some treasure
under a hag's rug, but there's a much larger treasure elsewhere in the
catacombs.)
We disguised ourselves and found the auction right in the middle of the block
(7-4). We didn't want to get too close for fear of being recognized. We were
able to get the information we came for, then we left.
When we returned to clear the block, we found a secret temple (2-15) which was
helpful for healing our wounds while we were clearing the Textile House. (The
entrance doors are at 3-13 and 3-15. They are opened with bashing, picking, or
knock spells.)
There wasn't anything else of interest in Podol except for a bar called The Pit
(3-8). There we met a buccaneer, whose magic items we won in a duel!
(Note: Podal Plaza is considered cleared after ten random encounters. It cannot
be cleared while on a mission.)
POOL OF RADIANCE
Part 3
CADORNA TEXTILE HOUSE
We must have been doing an impressive job of clearing the city: Councilman
Cadorna personally gave us our next commission. Another adventurer had been sent
down to the Textile House to recover the Councilman's family treasure, but he
never made it back. Our job was to go rescue the missing adventurer (if he was
still alive), and get the treasure.
Our first stop was at a well we found in the northwest section (0-3). Thinking
it might lead to catacombs like Kuto's Well did, we started to climb down. It
turned out to be a dry well all right, but only Slye was able to make the
dangerous climb down the well. It led to the headquarters of the Thieves Guild!
Because we were on a mission for Cadorna, the guild master took us -- via
Part 1
INTRODUCTION
POOL OF RADIANCE is Strategic Simulations' first AD&D CRPG set in the Forgotten
Realms. I played version 1.0 on a Commodore 64.
The following walkthru is an attempt to provide the most necessary information
to help POR players solve the game. It does not attempt to be as detailed as the
marvelous clue book published by TSR and S.S.I.
You create six adventurers (See "Creating Adventurers" below), and they are
deposited in New Phlan. New Phlan is a small, civilized area of Phlan, governed
by a city council. This council hires adventurers to clear the rest of the city
of monsters so that all of it can be civilized.
These monsters are under the rule of a mysterious "Boss." Your objective is to
liberate the city from monsters, discover the identity of the boss, and defeat
him in battle. Once the "Boss" has been defeated, you've won the game, even if
you haven't killed all -- or even the majority -- of the monsters!
The graphics are seen from the point of view of your adventurers within the
city, and specific locations outside. There is an overhead map view of the
wilderness outside.
The many battles your adventurers will have are viewed in a separate, generic
location. All the characters are animated icons that can be arranged to engage
in sword fighting, arrow shooting, fireball throwing, etc. Either the battles
are fought between you and the computer, or the computer handles it all in
"Quick" mode. I recommend "Quick" mode, except when your adventurers get in
trouble; in this instance, hit the space bar to control them individually.
The game involves a series of individual adventures. Most of these adventures
are given to you by the Clerk of the City Council as "Commissions." There are
other adventures. In the Taverns, you will run across rumors that you can
investigate. I recommend that after mapping New Phlan, you first clear the
Slums. Then clear Sokol Keep, Kuto's Well, Podol Plaza, Cadorna Textile House,
The Library, Kovel Mansion, The Wealthy, and, finally, the Temple of Kane. Find
the Dragon; go on the subsequent adventures to find nomads, kobolds, and an
efreeti; then, clear the graveyard. Finish up with the Wilderness commissions
you haven't done; then take on the Gate and the Castle! See the map in your
Adventurer's Journal (page 26).
CREATING ADVENTURERS
I had good results with a human cleric, a human fighter, a half-elf
cleric/fighter, two elf magic-users/fighters, and one elf fighter/thief/magic
user. I could have done better!
My two magic-users/fighters were female, and this caused a problem until I
found Gauntlets of Power. Female elves are only allowed 16 maximum strength; the
Gauntlets improved them to the male maximum of 18.
Also, my half-elf cleric was not able to go up in spell levels as far as his
human counterpart. Look at the race limitations carefully before making your
selections! (It's on the back cover of your manual.)
Generally, you need two clerics, at least two magic-users, a thief, and at
least four fighters. The best way of getting all of this is to use races that
can be fighters as well as magic-users.
You are allowed to change your attributes in the beginning of the game. I gave
all of my characters maximum attributes; I was glad I did! There are very few
opportunities to increase the characters' attributes within the game.
NEW PHLAN
(The following reports were written by my human cleric and alter-ego,
"Preacher." The coordinates are based on 0-15 maps. 0-0 starts at the northwest
corner, with the horizontal location listed first.)
We found a map of New Phlan. (Note: It's provided on the cover of your
Adventurer's Journal.) Using that map we explored the city and labeled the
various buildings. The first thing we needed to find was an Inn. We were tired
after the long sea voyage to Phlan. The guards are certainly strict about
enforcing the "no loitering" signs posted all over. Several times we tried to
camp in the streets, but the watch rousted us each time. We didn't argue with
them; we just moved on.
Eventually, we found several Inns in the southwest (4-12) section. We also
found many shops (open only in the daytime) where we were able to change our
gold pieces into platinum (11-12). The Inns charged a single platinum piece for
a stay. They wouldn't take anything else.
We found a Jewelry Shop (8-10). Its entrance was inside another shop (9-10). We
had heard that there was a place to exchange heavy gold for light jewelry and
wanted to know where it was, anticipating the riches we were going to earn!
We picked up plenty of gossip at the various taverns in town (8-9). We also got
into a few out-and-out brawls. They were great fun, however, with everyone in
the place joining in. We needed the experience because we were all so young and
didn't have many spells or skills.
We went to the Hiring Hall (7-2) and hired another fighter, who agreed to work
with us for one share. A hero also was looking for work. But because he was much
more experienced than we were, he talked us into four shares for his services.
We took him, but it rankled!
Several of our mage/fighters had a couple of duels and usually ended up needing
healing. We earned a few extra gold pieces, but it really wasn't worth it!
We found various rooms around the training hall that were willing to train us
all to higher levels of proficiency, and to teach us a few spells. But they said
that first we'd have to get some experience! (Note: On page 35 of the
Adventurer's Journal you can find out how much experience is needed for which
level.)
We looked the Temples over, but they were so expensive, and I was perfectly
able -- along with the other cleric we had with us -- to do the healing we
needed after battles. (As long as no one got killed!) None of them offered any
rates cheaper than any other, either.
We learned very quickly not to fight with any of the guards in Phlan. We heard
at the taverns that if you did, you'd probably get killed; even if you won, the
shopkeepers wouldn't sell anything to you, nor would the Temples heal you until
you had finished a mission.
We met a nice young lady who was the clerk for the city council (5-5). She gave
us our first commission, and promised a nice reward if we completed it. The
commission? To clear the Slums of monsters. We marched forward with relish!
POOL OF RADIANCE
Part 2
THE SLUMS
The eight of us had an easy time of it in the first few blocks of the Slums. We
encountered some Orcs and a Goblin Armsmaster with his students. The Wiz threw a
detect magic spell on what we thought was just some of their junk, and it turned
out to be treasure! We had our fortune told by a Gypsy (we wisely didn't attack
her), and we found a little bit of treasure in a stable. But there was an
illusionary wall up in the northwest corner (0-0), where we found a lot more
treasure.
We met a magic user called Ohlo (13-10), who sent us to the Rope Guild to get a
potion for him. We found the man with the potion (15-12), told him Ohlo sent us,
and he gave it to us. We returned it and were well paid for the job.
We killed off Kobolds, Hobgoblins, Monster Guards, and Monster Leaders. Wiz and
Wuz (the two magic-users/fighters) used sleep spells on some very tough Goblin
Guards' archers. It seemed like the fighting would never end at times!
We encountered some very large Trolls and Ogres tossing things around (0-14).
It was touch-and-go at first, but Lance (our human fighter) came up with tactics
that saved the day. He and the hero held the front line, while Slye (the
thief/fighter/magic-user) and the hired Fighter knocked their arrows and
peppered the Trolls. They left the Ogres alone; the fact that the Ogres were
between the Trolls and us was the only thing keeping us alive! Wiz and Wuz also
used their bows on the Trolls after they ran out of spells. Breed (the half-elf
fighter/cleric) and I kept the front rank healed with spells as well as we
could; the Ogres were giving them quite a pounding. Finally, we killed the
Trolls, then quickly finished off the Ogres. I stomped on the dead Trolls and
hammered them with my mace so they couldn't regenerate. It was bloody,
disgusting work, but somebody had to do it!
(Note: If you have mapped this block completely, and have had 15 random
encounters, the section is considered cleared.)
SOKOL KEEP
After some well-earned rest back in the civilized sector, we collected our
reward from the City Clerk, and received a new Commission: Sokol Keep. We looked
on the map and knew that it was on an island -- a short boat trip away from
Phlan. We went to the docks and booked passage.
Sokol Keep turned out to be a foreboding, lonely place! Outside the main gate
we found the bones of a dead elf (6-13). Since a goodly number of us were elves,
this caused some consternation. On the body, we found a scroll with three words
written on it. They translated as LUX, SHESTNI, and SAMOSUD.
We entered the Keep and were quickly beset by patrols of undead warriors! We
tried out the words on the scroll by parlaying [sic] with the warriors, and
found that SHESTNI satisfied them and sent them away. (Note: After speaking with
Martinez, only SAMOSUD will work.) But we were too bloodthirsty to be long
satisfied with this and finally started butchering them. I found that a dispel
worked just fine, and Breed also used it. Finally, after killing off our fourth
Patrol, we were allowed to camp and rest in peace
As we entered a room (8-5) just north of the Altar room, we were assaulted by
what seemed like thousands of Orcs and Hobgoblins! We found out later that this
was a force sent by the Boss to stop us from clearing the Keep. Once more we
found sleep spells worked well enough on enemy archers and the front ranks to
allow us to kill every last one of them. But we were fortunate to have the help
of the hero and fighter; otherwise, I don't think we could have done it!
When we arrived at the altar (7-9), a specter materialized and identified
himself as Ferran Martinez. We used LUX to parlay with him, and then told him
the truth when he asked about the state of the city. He told us about a secret
treasure room, which we found in the northwest corner of the Armory (15-0). We
walked through another of those illusionary walls (15-2). There were other
haunts we found in another room (6-2) who -- with the aid of LUX -- helped us
find even more treasure!
All in all, the Keep was an enriching experience. But a sad thing happened in
the big Orc battle. The hero got himself killed, but we felt much better after
we took his weapons, stripped him of some expensive plate armor, and threw his
body in a ditch. At least he wouldn't be demanding four shares any longer.
I healed the hired Fighter; when we finally got back to the training hall, we
all trained to higher levels -- he even paid for his own training!
(Note: The Keep is considered cleared once Ferran Martinez has been told the
truth. The shipping lanes will also be open to traffic. If you leave the Keep
before telling the truth to Martinez, the Undead Patrols will be reset.)
KUTO'S WELL AND PODOL PLAZA
We got a commission to secretly attend an auction in Podol Plaza. On the way,
we passed through the block known as Kuto's Well. Later we would explore Kuto's
Well more thoroughly, but this time we just passed through it.
(Note: There is not much of interest in Kuto's Well, except for the Well
itself. It's the entrance to the catacombs where one may find Norris the Gray
and his bandit horde. Defeating Norris clears the block. There is some treasure
under a hag's rug, but there's a much larger treasure elsewhere in the
catacombs.)
We disguised ourselves and found the auction right in the middle of the block
(7-4). We didn't want to get too close for fear of being recognized. We were
able to get the information we came for, then we left.
When we returned to clear the block, we found a secret temple (2-15) which was
helpful for healing our wounds while we were clearing the Textile House. (The
entrance doors are at 3-13 and 3-15. They are opened with bashing, picking, or
knock spells.)
There wasn't anything else of interest in Podol except for a bar called The Pit
(3-8). There we met a buccaneer, whose magic items we won in a duel!
(Note: Podal Plaza is considered cleared after ten random encounters. It cannot
be cleared while on a mission.)
POOL OF RADIANCE
Part 3
CADORNA TEXTILE HOUSE
We must have been doing an impressive job of clearing the city: Councilman
Cadorna personally gave us our next commission. Another adventurer had been sent
down to the Textile House to recover the Councilman's family treasure, but he
never made it back. Our job was to go rescue the missing adventurer (if he was
still alive), and get the treasure.
Our first stop was at a well we found in the northwest section (0-3). Thinking
it might lead to catacombs like Kuto's Well did, we started to climb down. It
turned out to be a dry well all right, but only Slye was able to make the
dangerous climb down the well. It led to the headquarters of the Thieves Guild!
Because we were on a mission for Cadorna, the guild master took us -- via
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